‘Well, you’re certainly seeing quite a lot of me. That’s for sure.’

‘You look amazing. Now, come on, let’s get you dressed. We need shoes and a bag yet.’

‘I’m pretty sure I have shoes at home somewhere that will do.’

‘Nope, no good. For your first proper social occasion in years, especially a glamorous one like this, you need all new things.’

I let out a sigh. ‘Then, first of all, I need a huge pot of tea and an even bigger slice of cake.’

20

By the end of the day, I’d spent more money on one outfit than I had in about a decade on everyday clothes.

‘Manage to find something?’ Felix asked when Poppy and I walked through the door later that evening.

‘I went shopping with your wife. What do you think?’

Felix pulled a face. ‘Fair point. I did marry a shopping demon.’

‘I prefer the term shopping genius,’ Poppy replied, placing a couple of bags down with her own purchases inside.

‘I stand corrected. I married a beautiful shopping genius.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, walking over and giving him a kiss. ‘Did you boys have a good day? How are the kids?’

‘Watching a film in the other room, although it’s remarkably quiet.’ Felix pushed himself up. ‘I think I’ll go and check on them. We took them out for a long walk earlier, so I think that tired them out.’ He went off and Poppy followed him.

‘I know how they feel,’ I said, plopping down on the sofa that Felix had just vacated.

‘Hard day?’ Jack asked from the seat next to me.

‘I’d forgotten how much stamina I needed for shopping with Poppy.’

‘You got something nice, though, by the sounds of it.’

‘I did. I kind of baulked at the price tag, but it’s not many times you get to go to a big production film premiere, is it? The last thing I want to do is show myself up.’

‘You would never show yourself up.’

‘Thanks for the confidence, but to say I’m out of practise at anything remotely social, let alone anything this size, is an understatement.’

‘You’ll do fine. We’ll just have a nice evening.’

‘Auntie Lily!’ Suddenly, two small children came hurtling down the corridor and launched themselves at me. I heard a muffled ‘oof’ as something of Freddy’s connected with something of Jack’s.

‘Mind what you’re doing,’ I said as I gave them both an enormous cuddle. ‘We can’t injure Jack before he finishes my garden, can we?’ I asked, as I gave them a tickle.

They giggled and wriggled and wrapped their arms around my neck as I cuddled them to me. Freddy then wiggled across to Jack and began climbing up on his shoulders.

‘Don’t you fall off there. I’m not cleaning any blood up.’

As I looked across to Jack, he had his hands firmly on Freddy’s legs, sending me a silent promise with his eyes that there is no way he’d let go. I gave the tiniest nod to show I understood before rearranging Ruby on my lap a little more comfortably.